Intraspecific variation in soldier defense secretions of Longipeditermes longipes (Isoptera, Nasutitermitinae)

The chemical defense secretions of major and minor soldiers of 46 colonies of the free-ranging termite Longipeditermes longipes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) were isolated and analyzed by chromatography and spectroscopy. The colonies, collected from rainforest sites in Malaysia, showed monoterpene patterns rich in pinenes and limonene but with few qualitative differences among colonies. In marked contrast, the diterpene chemistry is highly variable that includes bicyclic (secotrinervitane), tricyclic (trinervitane), tetracyclic (rippertane), and a spirotetracyclic (longipane) skeleton. This paper presents the compositional and structural diversity, and calculates genetic distances among sympatric and allopatric colonies from a single species.